Media

Articles published in 2012

Greetings from Sydney

Greetings from Sydney

7/01/2013 11:34:12 AM

This article was originally published as 'Greetings from Sydney' in http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/ on 29 December 2012. Image taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Luna_Park-Sydney-Australia.JPG

Greetings from Sydney, where I am staying with my three children on a dad-inspired visit, while Sandra takes a well earned break with her sister and mother in a much more relaxed and tropical location. This visit is reminiscent of trips my mother took me and my siblings on – to Brisbane.

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Livermore

Livermore

5/12/2012 1:49:36 PM

This article was originally published as 'Livermore' in http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/ on 1 December 2012.

Many will be elated at Kirsten Livermore’s decision to step down at the next election, but I’m not one of them.

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Crazy

Crazy

16/11/2012 8:48:28 AM

This article was originally published as 'Crazy' in http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/ on 10 November 2012. Image taken from http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/aboutus/ourlogo.cfm

What is it about Mental Health that causes such a stigma? If we have a cold or the flu, we say that we feel crap and everyone sympathises. Same with cancer to which some people respond with a whole new amazingly positive persona. But when people are depressed or face some other mental illness, no-one says anything.

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Shoalwater Bay

Shoalwater Bay

16/11/2012 9:00:35 AM

This article was originally published as 'Shoalwater Bay' in http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/ on 6 October 2012.

Last weekend, it all came back to me, with an impromptu trip to Shoalwater Bay. Stanage is a great place to relax, but this time we launched the boat, and motored south till we found a beautiful camping site. Passing countless turtles and whales, Sam kept track of our speed and distance on the handheld GPS, Lewis kept lookout and Alex looked after the dogs.

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Fast Train

Fast Train

16/11/2012 9:09:27 AM

This article was originally published as 'Fast Train' in http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/ on 8 September 2012.

Many claim that the rail track between Rockhampton and Gladstone is at capacity. It is not - QR National’s own data shows that, and with most infrastructure already in place, the service could probably be run with a modest subsidy.

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Wacademia

Wacademia

23/07/2012 10:58:56 AM

This article was originally published as 'Wacademia' in The Morning Bulletin in July 2012

Flinders prided itself on was an interdisciplinary approach to learning streams. As part of my economics degree I studied statistics, demographics, politics, history and even had the opportunity to enrol in “death dying and bereavement” and other subjects in the medical school. More experienced, it’s almost uncomfortable to realise that I only now understand what they gave me back then.

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Rundown on CIPL

Rundown on CIPL

16/11/2012 9:17:46 AM

This article was originally published as 'Rundown on CIPL' in http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/ on 21 July 2012.

Of the $150 million or so our business looks after, about $90 million originates from Central Queensland. That’s a lot of money, but think about it this way – that’s only money entrusted to our firm - one of probably 30 financial services firms in the area.

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Borghetti

Borghetti

16/11/2012 9:27:54 AM

This article was originally published as 'Borghetti' in http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/ on 14 July 2012.

The frequency to Brisbane is excellent. The revamped cabins, and crew-wear are classy and the staff are on the look-out to make the time in the air memorable - for me it's about using that quiet time well. New planes, and routes are in the offing.

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The Grand

The Grand

16/11/2012 9:37:16 AM

This article was originally published as 'The Grand' in http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/ on 16 June 2012.

Passers-by will notice that the Grand Hotel and the house next to it has been demolished, with only Legacy house still standing. The combined land parcel comprises more than 1,700 square metres of prime commercial land, snugly situated between City Centre Plaza, The Edge and the new Empire apartment hotel (to be started in January).

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Assessing the value

23/04/2012 4:44:02 PM

This article was originally published as 'Assessment of Value' in The Morning Bulletinon 21 April 2012.

It strikes me as odd that people will happily fork out $38 for a carton of beer every week, but will balk at spending the same amount on upgrading their car. Or they will happily buy a can of coke each week, but persevere with a clapped out washing machine.

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Check your face

Check your face

12/04/2012 11:12:33 AM

This article was first published inThe Northern Daily Leader under the heading, 'Check your face' on the 31st of March 2012.

Financial advisers don’t follow a ‘face code’ (I hope!) – exclusivity should not be a barrier to receiving financial advice. Some advisers may charge more than others, but you shouldn’t be discriminated against based on the balance of your bank account. This is related to a question I am often asked: how much money do you need to have before you see a financial adviser? Many people think that there’s no use getting financial advice unless they have a spare couple hundred thousand dollars lying around. The truth is that you don’t need to have money to justify seeking out financial advice; you just need to be interested in making the most of your financial situation.

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Ports

Ports

16/11/2012 9:47:20 AM

This article was originally published as 'Port' in http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/ on 24 March 2012.Image borrowed from http://www.queensland-australia.com/gladstone-image-tour.html

If the benefits to the region from mining and LNG construction start to wane, what will drive growth? It won’t be tourism, education or exports, the high $A will see to that, and retail will be hit as the high income tradies and operators drift away. How will you feel when your house price drops by 30 per cent, and your kids can’t find jobs.

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Just Google It

Just Google It

12/04/2012 11:01:44 AM

This article was first published inThe Northern Daily Leader under the heading, 'Just Google It' on the 17th of March 2012.

How great is the internet? Want to know how many ping pong balls fit in a jumbo? Just google it (around 28 million). Want to know Tony Abbott’s date of birth? Just google it (4 November 1957). Want to know how much the world’s most expensive watch costs? Just google it ($4.7 million). Want to know where the….ok you probably get it by now. It’s almost hard to imagine life without access to all of this amazing information. Though of course much of what you find on the internet is of dubious quality – have a look for when the world will end and you’ll see what I mean (21st of December apparently, so go easy on the Christmas presents this year).

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Productivity

Productivity

12/03/2012 2:25:39 PM

This article was originally published as 'Productivity' in The Morning Bulletinon 03 March 2012.

Economists have not been good at explaining productivity, and consequently most people think it involves closing factories and cutting heads. That can happen, but more powerful sources of productivity improvements do exist. While employing better machinery and other equipment is obvious, it is the legion of small things that interests me most.

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The Music Did It

The Music Did It

12/04/2012 10:56:11 AM

This article was first published inThe Northern Daily Leader under the heading, 'The Music Did It' on the 03rd of March 2012.

It’s remarkable how sights, sounds and smells can jog our memories, instantly reminding us of places or events long past. Music in particular is very effective at transporting you back to a certain time or place. When I hear Ennio Morricone’s classic theme song from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, it immediately takes me back to the late 70’s, sitting on the shagpile rug on the lounge floor while my parents listened to the soundtrack on their vinyl record player, eating Swedish meatballs and a cheese fondue. On the other hand, a power love ballad from Whitney Houston reminds me of teenage parties where we hung out with our acid wash jeans, leather jackets and big hair, furtively sneaking sips from a can of beer we’d stolen from Dad’s fridge.

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The 'toilet tip'

The 'toilet tip'

23/02/2012 8:56:05 AM

This article was first published inThe Northern Daily Leader under the heading, 'The Toilet Tip' on the 18th of February 2012.

People often lump gambling and the stock market together, believing that the risks or chances of success in both are of equal magnitude. In fact researchers have found that there is a difference: gambling in casinos or on pokies means you will only ever lose in the long run, due to the nature of the odds against you. The stock market however, is more like the racetrack, where the more informed investor (or punter) can succeed at the expense of less well informed players. The message is that successful investing, like picking winners at the track, means talking to somebody who knows what they’re doing. It’s just that good investment advisers are hopefully easier to find than hanging around the toilets at the racetrack.

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Shopping is not a movie

Shopping is not a movie

27/02/2012 10:17:44 AM

This article was first published in The Northern Daily Leader under the title 'Shopping is not a movie' on 04 February 2012.

It struck me then that choosing a movie was not unlike investing in the stock market – I had a choice between very different alternatives, just as you do when you select any investment. One of the choices, The Hangover, was clearly high-risk (my wife was not going to be happy when I showed her my selection) but also high-reward (I was going to be much happier watching it than the movie about shopping). Sex in the City however, was the complete opposite – low-risk (my wife was going to be thrilled with my choice) but also low-reward (I would have to try and keep awake for two hours watching Carrie and her friends go shopping and talk about their feelings).

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Fleeting 1st lesson in finance

Fleeting 1st lesson in finance

31/01/2012 11:35:34 AM

This article was first published inThe Northern Daily Leader under the heading, 'A kiss from Julia Roberts' on the 26th of November 2011.

Starting early is important not only in education, but also in saving and investing. The earlier you start saving up for something, be it a new car, a nice pair of shoes or your retirement, the more chance you have of reaching your goal. Now we all already know this, so why is it so hard to do? It’s simply a trade-off between immediate and delayed consumption. We all want it now! Having to wait a week, six months or forty years before we get to spend our savings is no good, we want it all now.

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Our Region - Be Proud

Our Region - Be Proud

31/01/2012 12:47:25 PM

This article was originally published as 'The Region' in The Morning Bulletin in January 2012

There are frustrating aspects to our region. Accepting mediocrity is a cultural norm. Such attitudes prevailed when I went to school and date back more than 100 years. This reflects in customer service, creativity and in solving problems. The incidence of real decision makers in our region is low. Most senior positions in our region are about managing budgets set by others, not driving strategy. Creativity and education can be greeted with suspicion and putting barriers in the way of (even humble) progress is often treated as a sport. Talented younger people move away, reducing the chance of changing the status quo. Tough call? Maybe, but I see no harm in listing things that are readily verifiable to those who care to do the research.

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Bollywood Bongos

Bollywood Bongos

31/01/2012 12:41:16 PM

This article was first published inThe Northern Daily Leader under the heading, 'Not The Next Keith Urban' published on 21 January 2012.

During a holiday to India some years ago, a power failure knocked out the lights and music at the restaurant at which my wife and I were eating. The restaurant owner came over with a set of bongo drums and asked me if I could play the drums and would I mind providing some entertainment for the other restaurant patrons? For a moment I felt like telling him that of course I could play, grabbing the drums and setting off on an uncontrolled, utterly clueless bongo drum jam session. I wondered if he would be too polite to come up to me and tell me that I clearly had no idea how to play the drums, or perhaps he would think it was some new Australian-style bongo drum technique of which he had never previously heard?

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